Sunday, February 19, 2012

I got an email a few days ago from someone requesting a custom made love bird tote for her sister, who's getting married soon. The wedding has a love bird theme and when she came across the love bird totes I made last year, she thought it would be the perfect gift. She asked that I make it large enough to use as a shopper, incorporate the couples favorite band (311), and use fabrics that were pink, green & blue.

I used canvas for the main exterior of the bag and quilter's linen for the lining so it's pretty durable. But to make it even sturdier, I added a layer of interfacing as well. I picked out some of my favorite fabrics and got to piecing. Can you spot the 311?

A couple of things I did differently this time were add a magnetic snap for closure and add a patchwork panel on the back of the bag too. That way it looks pretty no matter what way you're wearing it.

It's large enough to hold several books, magazines, laptop, ipad, and wallet.

Wait a minute... is that the Hunger Games Illustrated Movie Companion?? Yes, yes it is! I'm that obsessed and I'm not ashamed to admit it! lol I recommend this book to those of you who are extremely excited about the upcoming movie next month. The pictures of the capital, the food, the hovercrafts and everything else are amazing. I can't wait for the movie to come out!

Anyway, I hope they both like it and it brings a huge smile to the bride's face when she receives it! Have an awesome week! Linking up here.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

My son is a HUGE robot fanatic. Ever since he saw Real Steel and Transformers, he is just obsessed. So when he asked me to make him a bag for his alphabet magnets, I knew I had to use some robot fabric.

We got him this Crayola easel for Christmas two years ago and he'd "misplaced" all the magnets that it came with. So grandma came to the rescue and bought him a new pack of jumbo letters and numbers. This time, I immediately made him a drawstring pouch for safekeeping, using Jeni's adorable lined bag pattern. I used the snack bag size for this project but I'm dying to find an excuse to try the tiny bag size. It looks adorable!

Monday, February 13, 2012

I finished my Domestic Bliss quilt top! I used a simple bowtie pattern in 6" blocks. It's a medium throw sized quilt with 56 blocks for my sofa. I already pieced the back together. I just need to go buy some batting so I can get started on the quilting, which I'm still undecided about. Any suggestions? I'm thinking straight lines maybe?

I used some left over scraps to make a Kindle/Nook case. I love how bright and cheery these fabrics are. It's now in the shop if anyone is interested.

Lighting has been terrible around here with all this gloomy weather. It's been raining pretty much non-stop. But I'm looking forward to Valentine's Day tomorrow. I'm going to spend the entire day with my two loves. What could be better than that? Have a great day!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

A couple of week ago I got two custom orders for laptop sleeves. My sister and her friend both got MacBook Pros but that's where the similarities ended. They each had their own completely different vision of what they wanted.

My sister chose a simple design in black, grey and yellow. She wanted a double lattice quilting and a vertical entry for her laptop. She also requested a D-ring on the side so she could attach a matching zipper pouch where she keeps her charger.

Her friend chose a design similar to the purple patchwork iPad sleeve I had made for my shop. She wanted straight line quilting (in groups of three) and an asymmetrical flap on a horizontal entry.

It's always a little intimidating when someone has a perfect picture in their mind of what they want and it's my responsibility to make it happen. I'm always scared I won't come through for them but I lucked out in this case. They both loved them!

I went to Corpus Christi with my hubby last week "for his work" and while I was there I picked up some mohair lace yarn. I had never worked with it before but I saw a scarf pattern I just had to try out. It really seemed like I was getting nowhere with that delicately thin yarn, but five days later, I finally finished it.

Here it is in all it's crumpled glory. I love the slightly fuzzy look to it. Minutes after I posted it on Facebook, someone offered to buy it. So I might be in the mood to make another one very soon.

Have you been productive lately? I'd love to see your recent finishes. Feel free to leave me links. Have a wonderful day!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

I've had Anna's Go Anywhere Bag Pattern on my to-do list for awhile now. I kept putting it off because it seemed a little complicated to me. But it really wasn't! It came together quickly and the pleats didn't even give me a headache. I'm so happy with it! I made it last week and have been wearing it everyday.

This was my first experience with piping. I used a zipper foot, as per Anna's advice, and it wasn't difficult at all. I think it gives the bag a really nice finish. The fabrics I used were: Melody Miller Ruby Star Rising- Vintage Ladies, Robert Kaufman Yarn-Dyed Essex Linen- Denim, Michael Miller Ta Dot- Fuschia, and Michael Miller Ta Dot- Lagoon.

I love all the pops of color! I definitely recommend this pattern for anyone who is wanting to make a nice, large bag. The only thing I changed was add a little more interfacing in the pockets. I probably should have added some for the bag exterior too but I didn't want the bag to look too stiff. I think it'll be ok as it is.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Thanks to everyone who participated in my One Year Blogiversary Giveaway Week! It was a blast celebrating with you guys and I'm glad I was able to introduce you to some pretty amazing ladies/blogs. Here are the lucky readers who won:

And the winner of the grand prize for a $50 gift card to Target is...#25 The Workmans

Yay! Congratulations! Hope you enjoy your mini shopping spree. I'll be in touch with you for your snail mail address. I'll be back tomorrow to share some projects I've been working on. Have a great evening!